


On Shaky Ground

by DalmatianRex



Category: Monster High, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Crossover, Multi, The audience for this fic is me, but y'all can read it if you want, everybody is some flavor of gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-10-12 19:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20569448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DalmatianRex/pseuds/DalmatianRex
Summary: Nobody expected Slade to set his sights on Monster High. But when he does, you best believe the Titans and the Ghouls unite for the showdown of the century.





	1. Chapter 1

For the first time in a while, it was a peaceful day in the Titans tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg were watching TV, Raven was in her room, Robin was doing a weapons check. Starfire hummed a traditional Tamaranean folk song, putting the kettle on the stove. From her observations, tea was the Earth beverage of peace. One either drank it to gain peace, or to help heighten an already present peace. Maybe it had some sort of magic property? Whatever it was, she definitely wanted to share that special warmth and comfort with all of her friends. She pulled out five mugs from the cabinet, plopping in the teabags one by one.

“Beast Boy, Cyborg! Would you like to have some tea?” Cyborg gave her a hearty thumbs up from the couch.  
“Yeah! Thanks, Star,” He said. Beast Boy nodded along in agreement.  
“Four sugars and plenty of soymilk for me, thanks.” Cyborg grimaced.  
“Man, you’re just asking for diabetes at that point,” He said. Beast Boy stuck out his tongue.  
“Diabetes schmi-abetes, dude.” Starfire smiled to herself, leaving the boys to their bickering as she went down the hallway, knocking on Raven’s door.  
“Raven, would you care for some tea?” There was some crashing sounds on the other side of the door, followed by what sounded like the shrieking of a horrendous beast. Starfire was about to blast through the door when it opened, revealing a perfectly fine and unbothered Raven.

“I would like some tea, thank you. No cream, no sugar.” Starfire snuck a glance behind her, but it just seemed like Raven’s normal room. Nothing out of the ordinary. She gave a half shrug, smiling.  
“You are welcome, friend!” She said, moving on to Robin’s room. She knocked, peeking her head inside when she found it unlocked.  
“Robin? I am making the tea, would you like to have some?” Robin glanced up from the boomerang he was sharpening, blinking in surprise.  
“Tea sounds great, actually. Here, I’ll help you,” He said, putting his things down on his desk and following Starfire back down the hallway. They both were just about to enter the kitchen when the alarm went off, the alert taking over the big screen.  
“Aw man, I was watching that!” Beast Boy complained.

Robin immediately shifted into leader mode, jumping over the couch and quickly typing into the keyboard.  
“Reports of unusual amounts of seismic activity coming from New Salem. Happening for a week now.”  
“Then why are we only finding out about it now?” Cyborg asked. Robin shook his head.  
“It hasn’t been affecting the town until now. Apparently the tremors are centered in the woods, just north of the town border.” Raven came into the room, her face serious.  
“I sensed something evil…” She said. Starfire looked at the screen, taking in the map.  
“What could be causing such earthquakes?” She asked.  
“Whatever it is, it requires further investigation,” Robin said. “Raven, Beast Boy, you’re headed with me for reconnaissance in the woods. Starfire, Cyborg, go to New Salem and question the townsfolk, ask them if they’ve seen anything unusual. Titans, go!” He sprang away from the computer, dashing towards the vehicle bay, the rest of the gang in his wake. Starfire sighed, turning off the stove. The tea would have to wait.

There was a peace at Monster High too, although it was much more uneasy.  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire school so on edge,” Frankie said, accepting her lunch tray back from the lunch lady. “The earthquakes are real buzzkills.” Draculaura nodded.  
“Everybody’s all jumpy, it’s like they’re all chugging Coffin Bean lattes,” She piped up, grabbing her plate of veggies. They moved towards their table, where Cleo, Lagoona, Ghoulia, Clawdeen, and Operetta were already sitting. Ghoulia was frantically typing on her laptop, or, at least, as frantically as a zombie could type.  
“How’s everyone’s day going?” Frankie asked.  
“Absolutely terrible! The last earthquake made me spill eyeliner all over my new Alexander McScream purse!” Cleo said, surly. Frankie rolled her eyes.  
“Don’t you have four Mcsream purses already?” Cleo placed her hand on her chest.  
“You don’t understand Frankie, that was a birthday present from my aunt Hatshepsut. She’ll be devastated when I don’t bring it to brunch next weekend!” Lagoona sighed.  
“The earthquakes messed up swim practice. Made the diving board wobble so much that Gil almost fell and cracked his dome,” She said, downcast.  
“And it’s not just Monster High, apparently they’re gettin’ so bad the normies down in New Salem are starting to feel them too,” Clawdeen said.  
“If only we could find out what was causing them…” Frankie said, fiddling with her fork. “Then maybe we could stop them somehow.”

Ghoulia groaned, pointing the the screen of her computer. The rest of the ghouls crowded around her.  
“The tremors are coming from the catacombs?” Frankie said, in bewilderment. Operetta put her hands on her hips.  
“Some of the critters down there have been rushin’ around all scared… Couldn’t figure out why… Must be pretty bad if they’re all runnin’ around like a bunch a crickets on a hot plate,” She said, pensive. Ghoulia moaned again.  
“You’re right Ghoulia! We should send in a search party, see what we can find,” Frankie said.  
“We’ll all go, strength in numbers!” Lagoona said.  
“You all can go, I will hang back and hold down the fort while you’re away,” Cleo said. Ghoulia rolled her eyes, groaning. “Oh Ghoulia, don’t be ridiculous! I’ll have you know, I am helping Bloodgood earthquake-proof the school.”  
“Are you helping or are your servants helping?” Clawdeen quipped. Cleo blinked at her in bewilderment.  
“Is that not the same thing?” She asked. The ghouls laughed, and the bell rang.  
“Alright, we’ll meet Operetta at the entrance after school. Everybody bring a flashlight,” Frankie said. The ghouls nodded, splitting up and heading to their classes. They’d get to the bottom of this. Literally and figuratively.

They all met up that night at the entrance to the catacombs, flashlights in hand.  
“Everybody all set?” Frankie asked.  
“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Clawdeen said, doing her best to be cheery.  
“Alrighty y’all, let’s get this show on the road!” Operetta said, throwing open the doors and going down the stairs. The ghouls clambered down after her, their heels clicking as they walked. They passed through the main passageway, heading towards Operetta’s theater. There were a lot less lit torches than Frankie remembered, and the shadows seemed to bubble and shift in the wavering light from their flashlights.  
“Is it just me, or does it feel like we’re being watched?” Draculaura whispered. Operetta shrugged.  
“That’s just the catacombs, darlin’. Somethin’s always watchin’,” She said. Clawdeen shook her head.  
“No Draculaura’s right, I can smell something… But I dunno what it is…” She said, sticking her nose in the air and sniffing. “It kinda smells… like a normie?”  
“Ain’t no normie ever been in here,” Operetta said, snorting, “You might wanna get that ol’ sniffer a yours checked out.”

Suddenly, there was a scuffling sound off to their right.  
“What was that?!” Draculaura squeaked, practically jumping into Clawdeen’s arms. Frankie waved her flashlight over, catching a flash of something shadowy as it disappeared around a corner. Was that blonde hair?  
“Come on ghouls, this way!” She exclaimed, running in pursuit. They rounded the corner, following the figure through the maze of the catacombs. Whatever it was, it was incredibly fast. Suddenly, it skidded into a dead end, the ghouls closing in behind it. Frankie shone her flashlight on the figure, revealing a blonde normie girl in what looked like some weird body armor.  
“Stop! We just want to talk!” Frankie yelled. The girl sneered.  
“I’ve never been much of a talker,” She said. She curled her hands into fists, and they started to glow bright yellow. The ghouls wobbled as they felt the floor of the catacombs shake underneath them.  
“Quick, everybody! Under the arches!” Lagoona yelled, dragging Draculaura and Operetta with her as some of the stone from the ceiling fell down. Frankie and the rest of the ghouls hid under the opposite arch as the girl raised her hands, a hole opening up in front of her in the floor.  
“Do me a favor… don’t get in my way again,” She said, giving a mock salute as she jumped into the hole, the ground sealing up behind her.

The ghouls huddled under the arches, waiting until the tremors stopped before reconvening, standing around where the hole used to be.  
“I’ve never seen a normie with that kind of power before,” Frankie said, partially in awe and partially in fear.  
“Is she really a normie if she can do magic?” Clawdeen asked. “Her hands were glowing!” Draculaura shrugged.  
“Sometimes normies are born with powers, or they get them accidentally. My dad met one once, on a trip to Greece. She had super strength and could fly!” Operetta frowned, crossing her arms.  
“Whatever she is, she’s been messin’ with the wrong catacombs! This is my home, and I ain’t gonna let some yella-bellied sidewinder destroy it!” She rolled up her sleeves and was about to charge off when Lagoona stopped her.  
“Before we go dashing off into battle, we should tell Headmistress Bloodgood. She’ll have a better idea of what to do next,” She said, rubbing Operetta’s shoulder reassuringly. Operetta sighed, slumping forward.  
“You’re right… I’m just madder than a wet hen, is all.” Clawdeen wrapped an arm around Operetta, squeezing.  
“Don’t worry, we won’t let her get away with this. Right everybody!” Draculaura nodded enthusiastically.  
“Right! Ghoul squad forever!” She said. The rest of the ghouls launched themselves into a group hug, squishing Operetta into the middle. She chuckled.  
“Thanks… we should probably skedaddle right on outta here, huh?” She asked, breaking out of the clump. Frankie glanced at where the hole used to be. There was no seam, no gap, nothing to indicate that just a few moments ago there had been a person sized hole right smack dab in the middle of it all.  
“You can stay at my house! We’ll have a slumber party!” Draculaura said, clapping her hands in excitement. Operetta smiled, slinging an arm around Draculaura.  
“Well shoot! Thanks darlin’! Tell you the truth, I wasn’t lookin’ forward to headin’ back home all by my lonesome. Not with ol’ Shaky Hands out there.” The ghouls laughed, heading back towards the entrance. The shadows were less pressing when you had your best ghouls looking out for you.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin darted through the trees, hiding in the shadows. He, Beast Boy, and Raven had been searching the woods for over half an hour now, but so far they hadn’t found anything unusual.

“Check in team, how are you doing?” He whispered into his comm.  
“I’m coming in from the east, nothing yet,” Beast Boy answered, the sound of whistling wind in the background. He must be flying. “This place is huge!”  
“Uh… guys? I think I found something,” Raven chimed in. “Sending you my location.” Robin glanced at his comm screen, which showed a blinking red dot just to the west of him.  
“Stay put Raven, we’re headed your way,” He said, dashing towards her. When he and Beast Boy (shifting out of his pterodactyl form) arrived, Raven gestured them over to where she was crouched, binoculars in hand.

“Take a look at this,” She murmured, handing Robin the binoculars. Robin hunkered down, raising his eyebrows as he looked through the binoculars. The building was huge, about the same size as Wayne Manor, and filled with the same level of Gothic decoration. But what was even more intriguing were the people coming in and out of the building. One had a giant eyeball where his head was supposed to be, one was covered in fur and had fangs, one seemed to float, her limbs almost see through in the afternoon sunlight. 

“What is this place?” Beast Boy asked. Robin shook his head.  
“I have no idea. None of the intel I saw mentioned a place like this.” He ran his gaze over the building, his eyes coming to rest on an engraving above the main entrance. “Monster High?”   
“So… it’s a high school?” Raven asked. Robin spoke into his comm:  
“Cyborg, Starfire, ask the townsfolk if they know anything about a ‘Monster High.’ We’ll reconvene back at the ship.”  
“We came all this way and we’re not going inside?” Beast Boy asked, incredulous. Robin shook his head.  
“We need more information. We don’t know what these… creatures are capable of. For all we know they could be the ones causing the earthquakes.”  
“I don’t know Robin, they just kind of seem like… kids. Teenagers,” Raven said. She pointed at one kid with flames for hair, who appeared to be balancing a soccer ball on his nose while a kid who looked like a Minotaur filmed him. “Do you really think these are the kind of people who would intentionally trigger earthquakes?”

“I know one person who’s capable of that, but there’s no reason she’d be here,” Robin said. Beast Boy flinched, looking away.  
“Terra,” He whispered, almost like a prayer. Raven’s eyes softened, and she put a hand on his shoulder. It had been a while since the gang had last run into their former friend, now turned enemy. But the wounds Terra had left were just as raw as they used to be, especially for Beast Boy. Robin reached into his utility belt, pulling out his camera and snapping some photos of the building before tucking it away.

“Come on, let’s head back to the ship. Hopefully Cyborg and Starfire will find out something useful,” He said. Raven nodded, raising her hood and flying away. Beast Boy shifted back into pterodactyl form, shaking out his wings.  
“Want a ride?” He asked. Robin considered it for a moment before shrugging.  
“It’ll probably be more efficient this way,” He said. Beast Boy chuckled, launching into the air and grabbing Robin by the arms, hauling him up into the sky and away from the building. Robin glanced back, staring at the pointed towers as they grew smaller and smaller. Something wasn’t adding up, but he’d get to the bottom of it. He always did.

Headmistress Bloodgood paced back and forth behind her desk, staring down at the floor. Nightmare, picking up on her mood, was nervously huddled in a corner, pawing at the floor with her hoof. There had been another earthquake last night. A smaller one at least, but it still managed to destroy the last of the remaining glassware in the Mad Science laboratory. Mr. Hackington had been in her office earlier that morning, raving mad. Thankfully, Bloodgood had managed to placate him by letting him choose the new sets, giving him the wholesale dead-ucator’s catalogue and telling him to make a list of whatever he needed. She sighed, resting her hands on her desk and hanging her head. What disaster would the next earthquake bring? And why were they even happening to begin with? 

Nightmare trotted over to her, nudging her shoulder with her nose. She chuckled softly, stroking Nightmare’s cheek as she kissed her nose.   
“Thank you, Nightmare. I needed that,” She murmured, resting her forehead against Nightmare’s. Nightmare snorted, and She took a deep breath, centering herself as she sat down at her desk, confronting her usual mountain of paperwork. She was about to start digging into it when she heard a knock at her door.  
“What is it?” She called out. 

Frankie poked her head in, followed by Ghoulia.  
“Headmistress Bloodgood? Do you have time to talk?”  
“Of course! Please, have a seat girls!” Bloodgood said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of her desk. Frankie and Ghoulia sat down, fidgeting. Ghoulia groaned, her pale hands dragging slowly through the air.  
“You found out what’s been causing the earthquakes?” Bloodgood said, in astonishment. Frankie nodded.  
“Ghoulia traced the source of the tremors to the catacombs, so yesterday Operetta led a bunch of us on a search and, well…” Ghoulia moaned.

“A normie? With powers?” Bloodgood said in astonishment. Ghoulia and Frankie nodded.   
“Her hands glowed, and she made an earthquake happen, and she manipulated the stone floor to escape,” She said. Bloodgood laced her fingers together, propping her elbows on her desk.  
“I have heard of such normies before. They either are born with powers or acquire them by choice or by accident.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “The real question is, why is she here? And why is she in the catacombs, of all places?” Ghoulia groaned again, pulling a large roll of paper out from her backpack, spreading it out in front of her.

“Is this… a map of the catacombs?” Frankie asked. Ghoulia moaned, shrugging.  
“An incomplete one is better than nothing at all. Thank you, Ghoulia,” Bloodgood said. Frankie pointed at a place marked with a black x.  
“That was where we found the normie, right near Operetta’s theater.” Bloodgood pointed at a diagram of a nearby room, with a large spiral in the center of it.  
“What does this represent?” She asked. Ghoulia groaned. “Hexiciah Steam’s lab? Oh dear.” Frankie’s eyes widened.  
“Do you think that’s what she’s after?” Bloodgood frowned.

“Hexiciah was a brilliant scientist and inventor… that technology is priceless. I don’t know what this girl’s intentions are, but I have a feeling it can’t be good.” She came around to the front of the desk. “I will notify the appropriate authorities. Meanwhile, you ghouls stay out of the catacombs. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”  
“But Headmistress Bloodgood-”  
“No buts, Frankie. It’s too dangerous. Thank you for all that you’ve done, but it ends now.” She placed a hand on each of the ghoul’s shoulders. “This is for your own protection, trust me.” 

Frankie sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.  
“Okay. Thank you.” Bloodgood smiled, and the bell rang serendipitously.  
“Alright you two, go on to your classes. Thank you for coming.” The ghouls waved, smiling as Bloodgood ushered them out of her office, shutting the door behind them. 

Hexiciah Steam… Bloodgood stuck her fingers under her left cuff, fiddling with the gold bracelet Hexiciah had given her all those years ago. 

“Here you go… Happy birthday,” He had said, slipping it gently onto her wrist.  
“Hexiciah… This is beautiful, but it’s too much!” He chuckled, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb affectionately.  
“You deserve nice things, Nora. You give so much to the people around you, but when was the last time you took something for yourself?” He looked her in the eyes. “You, of all people deserve to be a little selfish.”   
Bloodgood shook her head, removing her fingers from the bracelet. It would do no good to get lost in her regrets. There was still paperwork to do, and people to call. 

Her feelings were irrelevant.


	3. Chapter 3

Starfire flung herself down on a park bench, giving a sigh of exhaustion. She and Cyborg had been walking all over town questioning people, but they were getting nowhere. No clues to be found.   
“Man, I am beat…” Cyborg said, settling beside Starfire.   
“My feet feel like they have danced fifteen consecutive Blorgoxems in a row, but we still are not finding the clues.” They both sighed. 

Starfire looked up at the sky. The brilliant blue was so different from the orange skies of Tamaran, but Starfire had grown to love it. It was soothing, almost like the tea.   
“I mean, Robin did give us a lead,” Cyborg said, interrupting her musings.   
“Yes, but what on this good green planet is a Monster High?” Starfire said, flailing her hands helplessly in the air.

“Um, I don’t mean to interrupt, but did you say Monster High?” Said a soft, gravely voice. Starfire’s head popped up and she saw a girl who looked a lot like Raven, but wearing even more black (if that was even possible).  
“Yeah, what do you know about Monster High?” Cyborg asked. The girl shrugged, hiding her hands in the sleeves of her sweater.  
“I know some of the kids who go there. It’s a cool school, you should check it out. You seem like you would fit in there,” She said, giving Cyborg a once-over. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Fit in?” He asked.  
“Well yeah… you’re what, a robot? They’ve already got two of those, last time I checked.” Starfire tilted her head to the side.  
“Are all of the students not human?” She asked. The girl chuckled.  
“They have one kid who’s half human, but I don’t think he really counts. You know, if you’re really interested, I can give you this one girl’s number, she’s like the head of the welcoming committee or whatever. Her name is Frankie, I’m sure she’d be happy to answer any questions you have.” Starfire nodded enthusiastically as Cyborg flipped open his button panel on his arm, typing the number the girl showed him on her phone.

“Oh thank you very much! But what is your name?” Starfire exclaimed, jubilantly. The girl smiled, shaking Starfire’s hand.  
“I’m Clair. You?”  
“I am Starfire, and this is my friend Cyborg. Thank the good that we found you!”   
“Nice to meet you Starfire, and Cyborg. I need to head back home, but maybe I’ll see you around?” Starfire practically bounced up and down in her seat, restraining herself from hugging Clair.  
“Yes! Hopefully soon!” She exclaimed. Clair smiled again, waving as she walked away. Cyborg closed his button panel while Starfire whipped open her comm.  
“Robin, we have the lead!”

“Great, rendezvous back at the ship. We’ll see you soon,” Robin replied. Starfire flipped her comm closed, holding out her hands to Cyborg.  
“Let us fly, my friend!” Cyborg chuckled, letting Starfire sweep him off the ground.  
“Boo-yah!” He shouted as they soared into the sky, the blue of his circuitry matching it’s pale blue. Starfire smiled, the wind rushing through her hair. She wondered what this welcoming committee girl was like. Maybe she would even be a new friend? The thought alone was enough to make her stomach fill with giddiness.

Frankie was hanging out with the fear-leading team, Ghoulia, and Lagoona after practice when her ICoffin beeped. It was a text from an unknown number, someone claiming to have gotten her number from Clair.   
“Hey ghouls, do any of you know about the… Titans?” She asked. Ghoulia’s eyes widened, and she groaned excitedly. “Superheroes? Really?”  
“Oh yeah, one of them’s that Robin kid who used to fang around with Batman,” Clawdeen said. 

Cleo raised an eyebrow at her.  
“What on earth is a… Batman?” She asked. Clawdeen rolled her eyes.  
“C’mon, you don’t know Batman? Normie guy dressed up in a bat costume? Fighting crime? Saving Gotham city? He’s all my little siblings ever talk about!”  
“I’ve never heard of him, but then again, I’ve never been to Gotham,” Lagoona said. 

Frankie stared at her phone, reading the message again.  
“He says that they’re investigating the earthquakes, and he wants to meet up! Maybe they can help us.” Ghoulia moaned.  
“You’re right Ghoulia. While they may be superheroes, they’re still normies. We’ll go with you,” Lagoona said. Frankie smiled.  
“‘Strength in numbers?’” She asked. Lagoona chuckled. 

Frankie noticed that Draculaura hadn’t said anything the entire time. “Draculaura? Are you okay?” Draculaura shook her head, blinking.  
“Sorry, I was thinking… Do you think the Titans know the earthquake girl?” She asked. Frankie shrugged.  
“Well, it can’t hurt to ask them!” She said. 

The rest of the ghouls nodded. Frankie quickly typed a response into her phone:  
Frankie: Sure, why don’t we meet up at the Coffin Bean at 5? My ghoulfriends and I will all be there and you can ask us any questions you want.  
Robin: Sounds good, see you then.

As soon as Starfire and Cyborg returned to the ship, the Titans started sharing info.  
“Monster High is a high school for ‘monsters,’ what exactly that means we do not know” Starfire said, crossing her ankles underneath her seat.   
“The way Clair was talking about the students… I don’t think they’re the ones responsible for the earthquakes,” Cyborg added.  
“Well the only way to find out for sure is to investigate further. Cyborg, what’s the number for that girl that Clair gave you? Frankie?” Cyborg read it out loud, while Robin typed it into his comm and sent her a message. Then there was a few minutes of awkward silence, where nobody knew quite to do with themselves, thankfully interrupted by Robin’s comm beeping. He flipped it open and smiled.

“She responded!” He shouted triumphantly. Beast Boy chuckled, rolling his eyes.  
“Dude, I know your dating game is pretty weak, but you shouldn’t be that excited when a girl texts you back.” Robin shot him a withering look.   
“She says that her and her… ‘ghoulfriends’ can meet up with us at… the Coffin Bean?”   
“According to the internet it’s a coffee shop in a mall,” Cyborg said. Robin shrugged, typing in a response.  
“They’re really taking this whole ‘monster’ thing pretty far, huh?” Raven asked. 

Robin crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair pensively.  
“You know, when I was back in Gotham, Batman used to talk about ‘monster society’... but I always thought he was joking.”  
“Batman tells jokes?” Cyborg asked incredulously. Beast Boy gave him a silent high five. Starfire shook her head.  
“But that still does not answer my question… What is a ‘monster’? Am I a monster?” She asked, worried. 

“Technically, I think all of us except Robin would be monsters,” Raven said. “I think to them, monster means anything that’s not one hundred percent human.” Cyborg stiffened, and Starfire placed her hand on his shoulder. Raven gave him a sympathetic look. “I know, it’s not… nice. But maybe the fact that they’re choosing to call themselves ‘monsters’ means they don’t see anything wrong with it. To them, that’s their normal. Non-monsters must seem as strange to them as they seem to us.” 

Starfire tilted her head to the side in thought. She remembered when she went through her cocoon transformation, how scared she had been. She had been so sure that her friends would reject her if they found out how ugly she really was. She certainly had felt like a monster then. What would the students of Monster High thought about her if they saw her like that? What would they think if they saw her now? She shook her head. The more she seemed to learn about these ‘monsters,’ the more questions seemed to pop up, making her realize that she actually didn’t know anything about them at all. 

“Alright, well our meeting time is in half an hour, let’s head on over to the mall,” Robin said, buckling himself into his seat. The rest of the Titans did the same.  
“Titans, go!” Robin shouted, Cyborg turning on the jets and piloting them towards their destination.   
Beast Boy eagerly rubbed his hands together.  
“I could use a latte…” He said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the gangs are coming together. Hope you enjoy!

The ghouls sat their usual corner table, anxiously awaiting the Titans. Frankie fiddled with the rim of her spookacino, repeatedly glancing at the entrance. It was almost like a date  
“Clawdeen, what does Robin look like, exactly?” She asked. Clawdeen tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips.   
“From what I remember, he has black hair, always wears a mask, and he’s got this big “R” on his chest.”  
“Should be pretty easy to spot, then,” Lagoona said. 

Frankie glanced at the entrance again, biting her lip. What if they didn’t show? She was just about to text Robin when a new ghoul walked into the cafe. She looked like she could be a monster, with orange skin and green eyes that practically glowed, but something about the way she was staring at the people there suggested this was her first time seeing monsters face to face. Frankie walked over to her, smiling.  
“Hi, I’m Frankie. Are you one of the Titans?” The girl blinked, before smiling and shaking Frankie’s hand.

“Hello, I am Starfire. Your friend Clair told us about you and the Monster High. Let me fetch my friends.” She pulled out what looked like a weird flip phone and spoke into it, “Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, I have located the ghouls and the Coffin Bean.”  
“Roger, rendezvous at your location,” Replied a staticky voice. 

A moment later, four more people came in through the entrance.  
“Hi, you must be Frankie. I’m Robin,” Said the wiry boy with spiky black hair. Lagoona was right, he was easy to spot.  
“Come on, let me introduce you to the ghouls!” Frankie said, guiding the Titans back to their table. 

As they were making their introductions, Ghoulia waved, groaning out her name.  
“What language is that?” Starfire asked, her eyes wide.  
“Zombie,” Frankie replied. “Do you want me to translate?”  
“Oh no, it is alright, I can fix this,” Starfire said, reaching over and kissing Ghoulia on the cheek. Ghoulia blushed, groaning, and then Starfire groaned back!  
“You can learn languages from kissing people?” Cleo said. Starfire smiled.  
“It is a gift my people have, amongst other things.” She paused, groaning again at Ghoulia. Ghoulia grinned, groaning back.

“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, let’s move to the matter at hand,” Robin said. “What can you tell us about these earthquakes?”  
“They started about a week ago, and they keep getting bigger and bigger,” Frankie replied. “Ghoulia did some scans and discovered that the tremors were coming from underneath the school, in the catacombs.”  
“You have catacombs under your school?” Beast Boy said in astonishment. Clawdeen raised an eyebrow at him.  
“Duh, what kind of school doesn’t have catacombs?” She said, matter of factly. Beast Boy stared at her.  
“Right, sure. Okay. Catacombs, gotcha.”   
“When we went into the catacombs, we found the cause, was well…” Robin leaned forward.  
“Was what?” Frankie crossed her arms, looking down at the table.

“It was a normie girl. With powers. When her hands glowed she could move the rocks around her.” All the Titans visibly tensed up. Starfire gasped, her hands covering her mouth. Beast Boy clenched his hands into fists, frowning intensely.   
“This girl… was she blonde? Blue eyes?” Robin asked. Frankie looked at all of them in confusion.  
“Uh, yeah, how did you know that?” Beast Boy slumped into his chair, like someone had just told him a family member died.  
“Terra,” He said, softly. Starfire took one of his hands in her own, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb.

“Terra used to be a friend of ours,” Raven explained, “She was on her way to becoming a fully fledged Titan when she betrayed us to our enemy, Slade. She’s been serving him ever since.” The ghouls were all taken aback.  
“Oh my Ra…” Cleo gasped, her hand pressing against her chest.   
“I’m so sorry, loves,” Lagoona added, her eyes shining with sincerity. “That sounds awful.” Robin sighed, crossing his arms.  
“It was, which is why it’s so concerning that Terra is here. Do you have any idea why?” Ghoulia moaned, launching a minute long groaning conversation with Starfire. 

Robin raised an eyebrow at her.  
“Starfire…” He said. Starfire blinked.  
“Oh, my apologies! According to Ghoulia, there is a large laboratory down in the Monster High catacombs. It belonged to Hexiciah Steam, who was a scientist and inventor. Ghoulia says that Terra is most likely trying to steal some of the technology there to give it to Slade.”   
“What kind of tech are we talking about?” Cyborg asked.   
“A time machine, for one,” Clawdeen said, “But I don’t know if it still works.” The Titans stared at her in disbelief.

“A time machine?” Beast Boy all but shouted. The ghouls all nodded.  
“We went through it once. It was very… interesting!” Draculaura said.   
“Interesting? I had to spend a whole day fused with Toralei,” Cleo said, shuddering in revulsion. “Never again!”  
“We can’t let Slade get his hands on a time machine. Who knows what kind of stuff he could accomplish with that in his arsenal,” Robin said, seriously. “Frankie, can you help us locate and protect the lab?” Frankie nodded, smiling determinedly.  
“You can count on us!” She said. 

Ghoulia groaned.  
“What is a Robecca and an Operetta?” Starfire asked. The ghouls chuckled.  
“They’re our friends! Operetta lives in the catacombs, so she knows them better than anyone. And Robecca is Hexiciah Steam’s daughter! She’s an expert on her father’s tech,” Frankie explained.   
“We need all the help we can get. Terra’s incredibly powerful, and who knows what kind of tricks Slade stuffed up her sleeve,” Robin said. His eyes ran over the ghouls, thoughtfully. “Do you uh, ghouls know any hand-to-hand combat?” Clawdeen snorted.

“Puh-lease! You’re not the only one who grew up in Gotham, Bird Boy,” She said. Ghoulia groaned.  
“Ghoulia says she is not very good at fighting, but she can be your ghoul in the chair,” Starfire translated. Robin nodded.  
“I’m not much when it comes to landing a punch, but I know how to use this,” Lagoona said, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a Bowie knife. Everybody stared at her in shock.  
“Lagoona… how long have you had that?” Frankie asked. Lagoona chuckled.  
“Frankie, I’m Australian,” She said, matter of factly. Frankie nodded.  
“Right, got you.” Draculaura wriggled, looking guilty.  
“I don’t think I would be very helpful, I’m not good with… confrontation,” She said. Robin smiled reassuringly at her.

“My mentor always told me that nobody’s born a fighter, it’s something you have to work at. We can help you, if you want.” Draculaura grinned, showing off her fangs.  
“That sounds perfect!” Starfire clapped her hands together.  
“You all should come to the Tower for training! And then we can do the hanging out, and order the pizza!” She said, delighted. While the ghouls and the rest of the Titans chatted away, Robin pulled Raven aside.  
“What are you getting from them?” Raven shrugged.  
“Nothing. I don’t think they have a single speck of ill intent in their bodies.” She looked back at the ghouls, with their bright eyes and easy smiles. 

They were all steeped in various magical energies and auras, it was almost overbearing. Like walking through a perfume department. Frankie had an unusual spark of electricity in her heart, Ghoulia had some sort of graveyard mist clinging to her body. The only one that set off her alarm bells was Cleo, who definitely had some sort of cursed item on her, but it didn’t seem like anything too dangerous or powerful. Robin followed Raven’s gaze, breathing a short sigh.  
“Good. Thanks.” They both walked back towards the group. “Alright everyone, I have a plan,” Robin said. “We’ll take you back to the Tower for training tonight. Then tomorrow we’ll go into the catacombs and make sure the lab is secure.” Starfire beamed, throwing her arms around Ghoulia and Beast Boy and squeezing them against her.

“A slumber party! Oh, this is going to be such fun!” She exclaimed.  
“Starfire… please… choking… me…” Beast Boy croaked. Starfire sheepishly let both of them go.  
“Alright, Titans and ghouls, go!” Robin said, leaving the Coffin Bean with a dramatic cape flourish. The rest of the group followed in his wake.  
“Is he always like that?” Clawdeen mumbled. Cyborg snorted, shrugging.  
“You get used to it after a while.”


	5. Chapter 5

Terra ran into another dead end and cursed, punching her fist into the wall. She had been in these catacombs for a week and still hadn’t found any sign of that Steam guy’s laboratory. No matter which way she went, she always seemed to end up in a dead end, or nearly falling into a pit of crocodiles, or getting her head cut off by a swinging ax. 

She slumped against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. Slade had sent her by herself for a reason. He said it was because he ‘trusted’ her, but Terra wasn’t an idiot.  
She knew this was a test. She couldn’t afford to show up empty handed. 

“These monsters have technology that surpasses anything our human scientists have dreamed of,” Slade had said, his posture as rigid and unforgiving as it normally was. The dim lighting of his industrial hideout cast shadows across his mask, making it look even more skull-like than usual.  
“With that kind of power in our hands we’d be able to bend the entire world to our will.” He stared at Terra intently, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
“Your mission is to break into this Hexiciah Steam’s laboratory and bring whatever you can to me. I trust you to make me proud, Terra.” 

Terra hunched over, letting her hair fall in front of her face. She missed Beast Boy. He had always been there whenever she had needed some comfort. Always ready with a hug, or whatever else she needed. She remembered how he used to fall asleep on the couch, his head falling onto her shoulder. 

She shook her head. He was a Titan, she worked for Slade. There was no going back now. Taking a deep breath, Terra stood up and walked away. The only way to move… was forward.

Back at the Tower, training was in full swing. Robin paced in front of the assembled line of ghouls in the training room, projecting an unconvincing sternness.  
“Alright ghouls, we’re going to start with a basic, level 1 Titan training protocol. You’re going to do it individually, everyone else will be in the room right next door. Use any powers or weapons you have at your disposal, no holds barred. Any questions?” Robin asked. 

Draculaura raised her hand. “Yes, Draculaura?”  
“Does this suit come in pink?” She said, pointing at her padded training outfit. Robin stared at her blankly.  
“Uh… no?” Ghoulia raised her hand, groaning.  
“Yes Ghoulia, you may be the excused,” Starfire said. Ghoulia smiled and stepped off to the side. Robin sighed.

“Alright, uh… Clawdeen, why don’t you go first.” Clawdeen cracked her knuckles.  
“Bring it, Bird Boy,” She said, her yellow eyes glinting. Robin smirked, leading everyone else out of the training room and into the control room next door, where he flipped a couple of switches.  
“Computer, activate training protocol level 1, part 1,” He said.  
“Activating protocol,” The computer replied, as four training dummy robots rose out of panels in the walls. “Four armed assailants, one Titan.” Clawdeen glanced at the fake guns attached to the front of the robots, wondering what exactly came out of them. 

“Protocol starting now,” The computer said. The robots started closing in at a steady pace. Clawdeen howled, launching herself at the robots, fangs and claws at the ready. What followed was absolute carnage, leaving the robots in a shredded pile in the center of the room with Clawdeen sitting on top of them.  
“Good job, but you got hit in your right leg. If this were a real combat situation, you would have been down for the count,” Robin said, chiming in through the speaker. Clawdeen looked down at her leg, where a splotch of bright yellow paint was staining her shin.  
“Aw man!” She whined. “It’s all in my fur!” 

Lagoona came in through the door, beckoning Clawdeen with her hand.  
“I’m next, love. You did great!” Clawdeen sighed, leaving the room.  
Robin watched in quiet admiration as each ghoul went through their training. Even though they weren’t trained to fight, their knowledge and skill with their own abilities made them forces to be reckoned with. Lagoona used her superior agility and her knife, Frankie used her electrical manipulation, even Cleo whipped out what looked like a jeweled scepter and turned all the robots into blocks of wood. 

Finally, it was Draculaura’s turn.  
“I don’t know if I can do this,” She mumbled, her shoulders hunched. Clawdeen wrapped her arms around her, giving her a reassuring squeeze.  
“You got this, ghoulfriend! We believe in you!” She said. Draculaura smiled gratefully, shaking her head and darting into the training room. As usual, the robots came out of the walls, making their way towards the center. Draculaura squeaked in fear, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

“Where did she go?” Starfire asked. The ghouls shared a look amongst themselves, grinning.  
“Look up,” Clawdeen said, pointing at the ceiling. The Titans looked up and their eyes widened when they saw a tiny pink and black bat fluttering around the ceiling.  
“That-a-ghoul!” Frankie yelled, pumping her fist in the air. Beast Boy stared at Draculaura, his mouth open.  
“No way…” He said. Bat-Draculaura did a loop in the air, diving down towards the robots. She flitted in and around them, expertly drawing their fire and making them shoot the others in the chest. 

When the exercise ended, she transformed back into her true form, giggling. The rest of the ghouls rushed in, surrounding her in a group hug.  
“You did great, love!” Lagoona said. Clawdeen kissed the top of her head.  
“See? I told you, you got this!” She said. Draculaura grinned. 

The rest of the Titans went in, Beast Boy immediately rushing forward.  
“Dude! You can turn into a bat too?!” He shouted, bouncing up and down. Draculaura smiled.  
“You mean like this?” She said, transforming again. Beast Boy shifted into his own bat form, chittering as he raced her around the room. Robin shook his head, smiling softly.  
“Alright ghouls, I think you’ve earned a break.” Beast Boy shifted back, whooping victoriously.  
“Pizza time!” He yelled, booking it down the corridor. 

The rest of the group eagerly followed, except Cyborg and Robin, who hung back.  
“You’re going easy on them,” Cyborg said. Robin stared at him.  
“Am I?” He asked. Cyborg crossed his arms.  
“You know how strong Terra is, what Slade is capable of. Do you really think doing one protocol is going to make that much of a difference?” Robin smirked.  
“I said we were taking a break, Cyborg. The night is still young, and there are over a hundred training protocols to choose from,” He said, walking out with his cape billowing behind him. Cyborg shook his head, rolling his eyes.  
“Unbelievable,” He whispered, going after him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my brain vomit. If you want to pester me for any reason my tumblr is dalmatianrex.tumblr.com


End file.
